


Important Conversations

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Daddy Dom Gabriel and Little Sam [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Background Case, Brotherly Affection, Comforting Gabriel, Daddy Gabriel, Good Big Brother Dean, Hurt/Comfort, Important Talks, Little Sam, M/M, Poltergeists, Sad Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 11:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6515926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam has two important conversations. One with his brother and one with his Daddy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Talk With Dean

Sam was sort of surprised and honestly a little bit pleased that Dean didn’t bombard him with questions when Sam came back to him the next day. He didn’t protest Sam being gone all night long or that it’d taken him most of the day to come back. Then again, that might’ve had something to do with the fact that Sam came back relaxed and smiling, looking so much more relaxed than he had at any point since, well… a long time. Sam couldn’t really remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed.

Things with Gabriel had gone fantastically. They’d set up a nest of blankets in Sam’s new room – and that room was so freaking _awesome_ – and they’d ‘camped out’ in there. Gabriel had snuggled Sam up against him so that Sam’s head was pillowed on Gabriel’s shoulder and then the archangel had used his powers to make the ceiling look a little more realistic, the clouds slowly passing just like they would outside, and he’d told Sam story after story as he pointed out the constellation. Sam had fallen asleep wrapped up securely under one of Gabriel’s arms and listening to the story of Perseus.

Once morning had rolled around, the two had shared breakfast together – which Gabriel had cooked, without his powers – and then they’d gone out shopping. The shopping trip had been sort of weird for Sam at first. After all, they were picking up things for him, a grown man, to use while he was little. He couldn’t stop himself from feeling so very self-conscious about it. Especially when Gabriel took him to what was obviously an age-play store. But Gabriel had been great at coaxing him out of it or allowing him his shyness when he’d needed. In the age-play store, he hadn’t pushed Sam farther than necessary, holding on to his hand the entire time and drawing him forward only to look at certain things or get his opinion on something.

Sam had done better in the other stores. He had still held Gabriel’s hand, because he wanted to and because it relaxed him, and Sam could sort of pretend that he and Gabriel were looking for things for a real kid, not for him. That was obviously what the store clerks thought. No one questioned why two men were looking at children’s bedding or anything like that.

They’d walked away from their trip with a new bed, three sets of bedding, four pairs of adult pajamas in kid patterns, some puzzles and coloring books, plenty of crayons, some storage bins, a big carpet for him to play on, and even some bathroom things. Gabriel would’ve got more, Sam was sure, but the amount they’d already gotten had left Sam overwhelmed.

From there they’d flown back home and had spent the afternoon in Sam’s room putting things together sans powers. Sam couldn’t remember a time he’d laughed so hard. Watching Gabriel try to put together the bed had been an experience. He’d had Sam laughing so hard he’d been crying at one point.

All of it combined to leave the hunter relaxed and easy when he finally came back to his brother. He was floating on the feeling of finally getting something he wanted, something he’d been craving, and getting it with a person who mattered so much to him. He truly cared about Gabriel on almost every single level possible. Friend, Daddy, partner – lover. They hadn’t done more than share kisses yet but that was fine. Gabriel said he wanted to take that part of things slow and Sam was grateful for it. He knew Gabriel was most likely doing it because he knew that Sam had a hard time with sex after the Cage.

Sam floated on the high of all of this for a while and he was grateful for Dean not saying anything to drag him down out of it. His brother gave him an afternoon of peace and didn’t say anything until that evening as they were driving towards the location of their next hunt. Sam had a feeling that Dean had waited deliberately; the angels rarely rode in the car with them.

They’d been on the road about an hour when Dean turned the music down and broke the silence between them. “So,” He drew the word out, packing it with the kind of meaning and innuendo that only annoying big brothers were capable of. “You and Gabriel, huh?”

Rolling his eyes, Sam shifted himself in his seat and got a bit more comfortable, knowing there was no way he could get out of this conversation. It was best to get it done and over with. “Yeah – me and Gabriel.”

“You two like, dating now?”

Blush colored Sam’s cheeks at the same time that his lips curved upwards slightly. “Y-Yeah. Yeah, we are.” He slanted a look over at his brother, trying to gauge the look on his face. Had Dean waited until they were in the car to say this because he had a problem with it? Some of Sam’s good mood leaked away at the thought that his brother might not be that happy with him. Sure, he and Gabriel bickered, but he hadn’t expected this to be a problem. The bickering between the two was just part of their friendship. He couldn’t… he didn’t actually have a problem with this, did he?

The thought made Sam sick. He stood to lose so much if Dean wasn’t okay with things. The thing he and Gabriel had, it wasn’t something they’d be able to sneak around with, or something that they’d be able to hide around Dean. It was going to be hard enough to hide the ‘Daddy’ and ‘little’ part of things from the older Winchester. If Sam had to hide everything, he’d go insane.

Sam knew there were some people out there who had ‘moments’ when they slipped into a little headspace, set aside times where they ‘played’, but that had never worked for him. It’d left him a bit too on edge when he’d tried and he’d been snappish and twitchy and, well, bratty. He and Jess had discovered that Sam did best when he lived an almost twenty-four/seven lifestyle. Like he’d told Gabriel, some things depended on what he was doing or who he was with. He didn’t always feel little in his head, though he could still maintain some childish mannerisms. During a hunt he didn’t let himself slip into that mindset. But it was easy not to there because he’d trained himself on how to act during a hunt. He had rules he had to follow and things he had to do. Hunts were structured even if it didn’t seem like it. There was lore, facts, rules – all things he was comfortable with. It was why he’d always excelled at the research portion of things. The rest of it, the planning, had been Dean’s area of expertise, and Sam had found it easy to follow his brother.

It didn’t seem to bother Gabriel in the least bit that this was going to be an ‘all the time’ sort of thing. As he’d pointed out to Sam, they’d still be dating – Gabriel would just have a level of control that most partners wouldn’t have. Being Daddy wasn’t something he could just turn off. “It’s my job to give you what you need.” Gabriel had told Sam while they were talking. “As your partner and as your Daddy, that’s my job. I don’t mind taking the time to figure this out, Sammy. We’ll find a way to make this work for us.”

If Dean wasn’t okay with Sam and Gabriel dating, how would it affect this? How would they be able to have their relationship while trying to hide _everything_?

Dean’s voice interrupted Sam’s thoughts and reminded him that he’d been in the middle of a conversation. With two sentences, he took Sam’s fears and stalled them completely. “Bout time you two stopped flirting. It was getting painful to watch.”

Sam stared incredulously at his brother. Was Dean kidding him? His own fears were forgotten under a way of disbelief. “ _We’re_ painful to watch?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm that was laced heavily over his voice. Did Dean have no idea just how frustrating his eye-sex with Castiel was to witness? Sam had been stuck in the room with them before when the sexual tension was so high he felt like he was choking on it.

Either Dean missed Sam’s tone or he chose to ignore it. The second was the most likely option. Either way, he glossed past it like it wasn’t there. “Yeah, dude.” Dean cast him a look and whatever he saw on Sam’s face had him softening just a little. “Sammy, the guy pulled you out of Hell and patched you up. I know he keeps the nightmares at bay for you, too. I’ve known he cared about you for a while an I’m… it’s all right, okay? I’m happy for you.”

Emotion clogged Sam’s throat. “Dean…” He couldn’t say anything else. The words just wouldn’t come.

He didn’t really have to say anything else, though. Dean understood. Dean always seemed to understand him. He flashed Sam a smile and then reached out, turning the music back up once more, signifying an end to what Dean probably saw as one of his ‘chick flick moments’.

Sam relaxed as the music played around him and peace seemed to settle over the car. Maybe this really could work for them. Maybe, just maybe, he’d finally be able to have something he wanted without it being ripped away from him.


	2. Calling On Daddy

The tension in the Impala was high as the Winchesters headed back to their motel room. The case was done and the poltergeist was ganked. Normally, they would’ve been celebrating a hunt well done.

Tonight, neither one of them wanted to say a word.

Sam curled up in his seat, one arm around his waist to carefully shelter his aching ribs, and tried to keep his mind as blank as possible. He didn’t want to have to think. He knew if he did, all he would see in his mind were the eyes of the small young girl as she lay there on the floor, already gone by the time the Winchesters made it to her. The image was one that Sam knew would haunt his nightmares for quite a while. Her young face had been frozen in an expression of terror that had made Sam want to throw up. They’d tried to get to her, but they just hadn’t been quick enough.

When they finally got to the hotel, the two climbed out, the doors of the Impala shutting just a little harder than normal, a testament to just how affected the two were. Dean wouldn’t normally dare slam the door of his precious car. But neither man was in the right frame of mind.

Sam carefully carried himself inside the motel room and over to his bed. There were bruises aplenty on his body and he had a feeling there was more than one bruised or cracked rib. Dean wasn’t much better off, he knew. The way his brother was limping was a good sign of that. Neither of them said anything about it, though. Nor did they suggest calling in their angels. After this case, well, it felt sort of appropriate they’d have some sort of injury. At least it did to Sam. He wasn’t sure about his brother. But then again, Dean wasn’t calling for help either. He was dumping their bag down on the table and then going over to his bed to change out of his filthy clothes and into a clean pair. Sam knew without even being told what his big brother was going to do.

 _Don’t go_ , part of Sam wanted to say. He squashed that down with practiced skill. Even when he _had_ been a little kid he still hadn’t been able to get away with saying things like that. The only time he had was when he was sure John was nowhere near to hear. As they grew older Sam had just forced himself out of the habit of saying it altogether. Now Sam only felt the urge once in a while – like tonight. Tonight he didn’t want his brother to go to a bar. He wanted him _here_. Even if they didn’t talk, even if they just sat on their own beds and watched a movie or something, Sam wanted him here. But that wasn’t how Dean coped; not anymore. Anymore, his coping could be found at the end of a bottle.

Because he was prepared for it, there was nothing to show on Sam’s face when Dean told him “I’m going out. I’ll be back” and slammed his way out of the room. Sam held it all together until his brother was gone.

Then, and only then, did Sam let himself melt down into his bed with a pained hiss.

The idea of bending down to take off his shoes just seemed like far too much to handle right then. He didn’t want to bend over and make his ribs hurt more than they already did, but he also didn’t want to sleep in bed in filthy clothes. There was dirt and blood on him – _not my blood_. That thought sent a shiver down his spine.

Sam looked down at his free hand, the one that wasn’t curled around his waist still, and the dirt and blood there made him sick. Her blood was on his hands, both figuratively and literally. She’d died because they’d been too slow. They hadn’t gotten there quick enough. Because of that, a child was gone, taken from a family who was going to grieve her loss for the rest of their lives. Sam curled his hand into a fist and bowed his head down. He hunched over the edge of the bed, free arm resting on his knees and his feet planted. It wasn’t _fair_. Why couldn’t they have been faster? Why hadn’t the poltergeist targeted them instead of the child? The guilt ate away at his insides.

Maybe he should’ve gone out with Dean. Obviously the last thing he needed was to be here alone. There was nowhere for his mind to go from here. No escape.

_I don’t have to be alone._

As soon as that thought came, Sam realized just how true it was. He _didn’t_ have to be alone anymore. He had someone he could call on now. Someone who had actually made him _promise_ to call on him in situations like this. Not just the emotional part of things, but the physical as well. Sam rubbed a hand absently at his ribs. Gabriel would be upset if he found out that Sam was hurt and he hadn’t called him.

But…

The idea of having someone who would be there for him was amazing, a dream of Sam’s really. One that he’d always hoped for. To know that he had someone other than his brother that he could call on. Someone who would come and take care of him. Yet at the same time, he’d spent so long being taught not to lean, not to whine, not to expect someone else to come in and pamper him. Even Dean’s pampering had always been under the guise of a mock gruffness or some teasing. He’d been taught to suck it up and move on. The injuries weren’t life threatening. He could still hunt.

Would Gabriel see this as whining? Would he tell Sam that he’d only wanted him to call if it was ‘serious’?

No – Gabriel wasn’t like that. _Daddy_ wasn’t like that. Sam had to believe it.

Before he could chicken out yet again he closed his eyes and softly prayed. _Gabriel._ Just his name. Just that.

There was only a short pause and then Sam opened his eyes right as he felt the familiar sensation of angelic arrival.

The first thing Sam saw was Gabriel’s face, full of concern. There was no mocking, no anger – nothing but concern written there as those amber eyes traveled over Sam. Gabriel hurried forward right up to Sam’s knees. Then, to Sam’s surprise, he crouched down in front of him and looked up into his face, one hand coming up to Sam’s cheek. “Look at you. What happened, baby?”

Sam wasn’t sure if it was the whole situation, the crappy night, his own guilt and pain – both the physical and the mental – or if he had already been halfway into his little mindset for some other reason. But the instant that Gabriel called him ‘baby’ in that gentle voice, Sam was gone. He felt his eyes tear up and he pressed his face against Gabriel’s palm. “Got hurt.” He mumbled. The words came out lower than normal, with a childish twist that hadn’t been there before.

“I see that.” Healing grace was already flowing out of Gabriel’s palm and into Sam. It was warm and soothing, spreading through him and taking away all his aches and pains until there were none left. Then he felt it draw back out, though Gabriel’s hand stayed where it was. His eyes stayed on Sam as well. “Where’s Dean at, Sammy? Did he get hurt too?”

The little boy – and he was very much a little boy in that moment – bit his bottom lip an nodded. “De got hurt, but he went t’ the bar.”

Gabriel stroked Sam’s cheek and smiled up at him. “I’m sure Cassie will take care of him, baby. Don’t worry. Right now why don’t I take care of you, hm? I bet you want outta those filthy clothes.”

Slipping both of his arms around his own waist, Sam sat there and watched as Gabriel moved to start untying his shoes. It felt sort of silly, sitting there while his shoes were untied for him. He could do it! Yet when he made to move his foot, Gabriel’s hand curled around his ankle and held him there. “Just hold still, Sammy. I got it.” Nimble fingers went back to work on his laces and quickly untied the knots. Then he was pulling them off, one right after the other. “There, see! Now, let’s get you up and out of the rest of those clothes.” The archangel straightened up and caught Sam’s arms, gently pulling him up as well. It still felt sort of strange but also really, really good to just let Gabriel take over for him. Sam let himself be manhandled as Gabriel gently and quickly stripped him out of his clothes straight down to his boxers. Then he was grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from Sam’s back and he just as easily helped him into those.

By the time Gabriel was tucking Sam down into the bed, the hunter was well down into his own headspace and didn’t even protest when Gabriel sat down by his head and snapped up a warm, wet washcloth that he then used to start wiping Sam’s hands clean.

“What happened, munchkin?” Gabriel asked, sliding his washcloth over Sam’s knuckles. He cast the boy a look from under a bit of loose hair. “What’s got you so upset?”

Sam chewed on his bottom lip again. He didn’t want to sound whiny. What Daddy was doing was really, _really_ nice and Sam didn’t want him to stop. He didn’t want to make him go away just because Sam couldn’t keep it together for one case.

“Sam…”

The warning voice had Sam wincing a little. He hadn’t heard that from his Daddy before but it wasn’t hard to figure out what it meant. There were going to be no secrets here. Sam watched as Gabriel finished up one hand and moved on to the next. “We…” He paused and cleared his throat, eyes closing so that he wouldn’t have to see the blood that Gabriel was washing off. “We were on a case. A poltergeist. It… it was a bad one.”

“What happened?”

“Someone got hurt.” Sam whispered. In his head he saw the little girl again. Against his will he felt tears burning in his eyes once more. “There, there was this girl, an, an, an she…” He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t bring the words past his lips.

The washcloth disappeared of his knuckles and Sam felt his hand be set carefully down on the bed. One of Gabriel’s hands moved to cup Sam’s cheek again and carefully cradle his face. “Shh, sweetheart.” Gabriel soothed him. “It’s okay, take your time. I’m right here.” He started to stroke the washcloth over Sam’s face, wiping up the bit of dirt that was there and wiping up the occasional tear that slipped free.

A shudder ran down Sam’s body. He pressed his face against Gabriel’s hand and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. “We couldn’t save her.” The words wobbled as more tears slipped free. “She was jus’ a baby, Daddy. Just a lil’ girl an we, we couldn’t…” A sob worked its way up his throat and Sam tried to duck his head down in embarrassment.

He heard Gabriel make a soft sound, low in his throat, and then Sam was stunned completely to feel the bed shift as Gabriel slipped down into it. “Oh, baby.” Strong arms gathered Sam up and pulled him in close. In that moment, their size difference didn’t matter. Sam felt tiny as Gabriel cradled in against his chest with arms that felt strong enough to keep him safe. His face found the crook of Gabriel’s neck and he buried himself there shamelessly. Gabriel didn’t protest it. He threaded one hand through Sam’s hair and used that grip to bring him in even closer. “That’s it, Sammy, I got you. Just let it out, baby. It’s okay. It’s just you and me here – just let it out.”

Let it out Sam did. For the first time he was being held and sheltered and given permission to let out the things that he usually fought so hard to keep inside. The gentle soul in him finally had an outlet to cry and grieve for the innocent one that they’d lost tonight, and he did it all while Gabriel held him close and stroked his back. The archangel kept up a steady stream of reassuring words, encouraging Sam to just let it go, to go ahead and cry, reminding him over and over that Gabriel was there.

When the tears finally faded and Sam was down to only the soft, hiccupping sobs that come from crying until you’re empty, Gabriel still held him.

He made as if to shift Sam back and the little boy gave a whimper of protest and tried to burrow back in.

“Shh.” Gabriel soothed him immediately. A soft cloth was brought in between them and Sam was drawn back just enough that Gabriel could wipe his face clean. He even held it at his nose for a moment and instructed him to “Blow” When he was done, the cloth disappeared and Sam was once more hiding his face against Gabriel’s now dry neck. He liked it there. It was dark and safe, with a smell that was kind of like the trees and kind of sweet, too. A scent that was all Gabriel.

The hand on his back started up its soothing stroking again and Sam let himself melt a little more into Gabriel’s hold. He didn’t notice that he’d ended up half on top of the archangel. All he knew was that he was safe here.

“I’m sorry that you had to see something like that.” Gabriel finally said, his voice just a low murmur in the room. “I know it’s hard. And I know you did everything you could to try and save her.”

“We weren’t fast enough.”

“You did the best you could and that’s all anyone can ask for, munchkin. You did your best and you tried to help her, and you stopped the poltergeist. Because of you guys, it won’t be able to hurt anyone else anymore.” The hand on Sam’s head drew him in a little and he felt a kiss get pressed against his hair. “I’m proud of you, Sammy.”

Those words stole any voice that Sam might’ve had left. They were words he’d so rarely heard before. He pressed his face a little closer to Gabriel and tried to hide the heat he could feel in his cheeks.

The two of them stayed laying there for so long Sam lost track of time. He felt his body relaxing, muscles feeling like they were melting, and Gabriel just kept holding him. His hand never stopped its soothing strokes over Sam’s back, or through his hair. After a while he began to hum – a melody that Sam didn’t recognize, but one that was beautiful. It wove around them and Sam felt himself slowly start to drift.

The last thing he felt was another kiss being pressed against his hair. “Go to sleep, Sammy. I’m watching over you.”


End file.
